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What are you listening to?

Started by The Brain, March 10, 2009, 12:32:23 PM

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Savonarola

#6090
October 23, 2015, 02:31:26 PM
The Contours Whole Lotta Woman (1961)

Berry Gordy was never really wild about The Contours, and hired them largely because one of them was related to Jackie Wilson.  This first single is a good example of why; it's a blistering rocker, rough and unpolished.  It's good, but it's not what Motown usually sounds like.  Singin' Sammy Ward would have been the only exception to date, and Gordy even tried to stick him with a more polished number on his first single.

The B side Come on and Be Mine sounds like a Sam Cooke song as sung by the Contours.  It's not bad, but it's not what they did well.
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

garbon

#6091
October 25, 2015, 12:19:29 PM
Sonny & Cher - All I Ever Need Is You
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."

I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Liep

#6092
October 25, 2015, 12:23:39 PM
Paul Simon - Graceland
"Af alle latterlige Ting forekommer det mig at være det allerlatterligste at have travlt" - Kierkegaard

"JamenajmenømahrmDÆ!DÆ! Æhvnårvaæhvadlelæh! Hvor er det crazy, det her, mand!" - Uffe Elbæk

garbon

#6093
October 25, 2015, 12:23:58 PM Last Edit: October 25, 2015, 01:13:42 PM by garbon
Tom Jones - She's A Lady
ABC - The Look of Love
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."

I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Savonarola

#6094
October 26, 2015, 03:54:18 PM
The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)

Not so much an album as a collection of songs by four different artists who all recorded under the same name.  There's a couple duds on this (Piggies, Revolution Number 9) but for the most part each song is great.  They made better albums, but they may never have made a better collection of songs.
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

Savonarola

#6095
October 26, 2015, 04:21:27 PM
The Supremes – I Want A Guy

Motown's first girl group, and the one that would go on to become their greatest, started off here with this... one of a kind... number.  It's a mixture of creep-show organ, jazz flute and guitar with a sixteen year old Diana Ross belting out I-I-I want a guy.  It sounds like it should be awful, but it's not; it's actually pretty good.  It doesn't sound like anything else from the era, or any era really.  Of anything it reminded me of Desmond Dekker's "Fu Manchu," if he had the Funk Brothers backing him.

Of course this wasn't a hit; the Supremes would go three years before that.  Mary Wilson said that they had been in a drought so long that she was begging Holland-Dozier-Holland to write them a hit.  They came back with this song where she and Florence Ballard kept saying "Baby, baby" over and over.  She then went back to pleading for HDH to write them a hit.

The B Side (Never Again) is a more conventional girl group doo-wop song.  It worthwhile in that Diana Ross does really sound like a heartbroken 16 year old girl.

While this is their first single as the Supremes; they had first sung as "The Primettes" (the sister group to "The Primes", some of whose members would go on to form "The Temptations.")  They cut their first single, Tears of Sorrow/Pretty Baby on another small Detroit record company, Lu Pine (RAWR!) Records.  Both of these are typical girl group numbers of the era.  Diana Ross sings lead on "Tears of Sorrow", Mary Wilson on "Pretty Baby."
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

Admiral Yi

#6096
October 26, 2015, 04:23:38 PM
So are you saying that Motown was basically funked up doo-wop?

Savonarola

#6097
October 26, 2015, 05:07:46 PM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on October 26, 2015, 04:23:38 PM
So are you saying that Motown was basically funked up doo-wop?

That's an interesting way to put it.  At this point (1961) Motown was releasing a lot of doo-wop, and they did have a house band of jazz session musicians.  I'm not sure I'd call it "Funked up doo-wop," it's more straight-up doo-wop with more talented musicians than were common at the time.

This is still a couple of years before "The Motown Sound."  Later bands, like The Temptations would have intricate backing vocals similar to doo-wop.  I think I'll have to listen to more before I can give you a better answer.
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

garbon

#6098
October 27, 2015, 05:15:59 AM
The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."

I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Savonarola

#6099
October 27, 2015, 10:34:11 AM
The Beatles - Yellow Submarine

George gets in a couple good songs here with "Only a Northern Song" (with some of his sharper lyrics) and "It's all too Much."  Obviously Paul and John didn't attach too much importance to this album (which is why they let George have a third of the songs.)  "Hey Bulldog" is a nice Lennon rocker with some of his cutting lyrics.  Paul's "All Together Now" isn't all that good, but it's in the spirit of the title track.  The instrumental music (not written by The Beatles) is forgettable.
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

Savonarola

#6100
October 27, 2015, 01:26:05 PM Last Edit: October 28, 2015, 07:37:12 AM by Savonarola
The Gospel Stars - He Lifted Me

This is the first gospel single on Motown records.  Later there would be a separate label for gospel (Divinity), but at this point they'd be on Tamla with The Miracles and Barrett Strong.  This is a really slow song, but the lead's voice is so powerful that it makes it worthwhile.

The B Side (Behold the Saints of God) is faster and the backing singers have a more prominent role.  It's okay, but I prefer the A side.
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

Savonarola

#6101
October 28, 2015, 12:20:49 PM
The Beatles - Abbey Road

This is The Beatles final album (though "Let it Be" would be released later) and it seems more the next link in the Rubber Soul - Revolver - Sgt. Peppers series than either The White Album (in which The Beatles obviously weren't working together) or Let It Be (where they tried to get to their live roots.)  This album makes me wish they could have kept going; but that was not to be.

The album does have a lot to recommend it; George finally writes hits, Ringo has "Octopus's Garden," it features some of their most intricate harmonies (especially "Because") and their best playing (especially "The End.")  I like the medley, but that's not going to be for everyone.
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

Savonarola

#6102
October 28, 2015, 02:15:01 PM
Mickey Woods - Poor Sam Jones (1961)

So this is a tragic story of a man who leaves his screaming kids and nagging wife and ends up with a lot of money... :unsure:

Berry Gordy was trying to appeal to white teenagers with this one.  Mickey sort of sounds like Ricky Nelson; but he doesn't have the presence to make this song sound sad.  The lyrics don't help much; and they're written by none other than Mr. Gordy.  Even the boss can pen a dud, but it's hard to believe that the author of Money and Lonely Teardrops came up with this one.

The B side The Rode Through The Valley is much worse.  It's a chipper little country comedy number about Custer getting slaughtered at Little itty bitty Bighorn.  Imagine the laughs.
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock

mongers

#6103
October 28, 2015, 08:37:51 PM Last Edit: October 28, 2015, 08:42:29 PM by mongers
Dire Strait's - 'So Far Away' the first track on 'Brothers in Arms', I really like the laid back.

edit:
Though 'Why Worry' is a better track for all the wrong reasons.
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again"

Syt

#6104
October 29, 2015, 05:55:15 AM
3 Doors Down - Kryptonite

I admit I almost exclusively associate this song (and esp. its opening chords) with SF Debris' Enterprise reviews :lol:
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould

Proud owner of 42 Zoupa Points.
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